Andrew Buller-Russ
Teams like the Colorado Buffaloes are in no-man’s land when it comes to college football conferences. Right now, the Buffaloes are in the Pac-12 conference, but next year, they’ll rejoin the Big 12.
It’s a move that Deion Sanders likely wishes was coming even sooner.
Why? It’s not because of the competition the Buffaloes face. Instead, it’s the start time of many of Colorado’s games.
Speaking on Wednesday during his weekly radio show in Boulder, Colorado, Sanders didn’t hesitate to chime in on what he says is the “dumbest thing ever.”
“Who makes these 8 o’clock games? That is the dumbest thing ever. It’s the stupidest thing ever in life. Who wants to stay up until 8 o’clock for a dern game? What about the East Coast? Do they even care about ratings or anybody watching it? Thank God we’re not going to be in this conference.”
Deion Sanders on late start times
Unfortunately, Sanders will have to get his team ready to play Stanford this Friday for a 10 PM ET start time or what’s an 8 PM kickoff locally in Colorado. It’s not the first time Colorado has kicked a game off so late after also hosting Colorado State for a Saturday night game on Sept. 16.
As to who selects these late start times? It’s up to the television networks. Pac-12 has a TV deal split between ESPN, FOX, and other various sports networks, and they’re given a choice on which games they select in the weeks leading up to each individual matchup.
While Sanders may not like the late start times, thanks to how popular his football team has been this season, he might have to get used to primetime slots. The remainder of Colorado’s schedule this season is not known, aside from a Nov. 17 matchup with Washington State at 11:30 PM ET. Based on his comments, Sanders won’t be too happy about the late start time against the Cougars either.
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